Lifestyle Changes May Prevent Alzheimer's

July 19, 2011 (Paris) -- Up to half of Alzheimer's cases worldwide could be prevented through lifestyle changes and treatment of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, researchers report.

A modest reduction in seven modifiable risk factors for dementia, including smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and midlife high blood pressure, could have a huge impact, says Deborah Barnes, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.

Even a 25% reduction in the seven risk factors, which also include depression, diabetes, and low education, could prevent 3 million cases of Alzheimer's disease worldwide and nearly half a million in the U.S. alone, she tells WebMD.

The number of Alzheimer's cases around the world is expected to triple to 106 million by 2050, Barnes says. With no effective treatment to reverse the course of the relentless disease, prevention is key, she says.

The findings were presented here at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference and published online by the journal Lancet Neurology.

Alzheimer's Risk Factors

Using data from previously published studies, the researchers first identified the seven most common risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, which together account for up to half of the 35 million cases of Alzheimer's worldwide.

Assuming a causal relationship between each risk factor and dementia, the researchers calculated just how strongly each factor affects risk. Then they took into account the total number of people affected by each risk factor, both worldwide and in the U.S. alone.

All seven factors increase the risk of Alzheimer's to a similar degree, by about 80% to 90%, the study showed. But their prevalence varied widely.

Worldwide, low education -- specifically, not finishing secondary school -- had the biggest impact on Alzheimer's cases, accounting for 19% of cases.

"Education is probably a very weak proxy for lifelong cognitive activities, but we had to make do with the data we had," Barnes says.

While she is not suggesting people go back to school at age 70 (although some do), Barnes say that challenging the mind with crossword puzzles and other mental activities may help to prevent Alzheimer's.